Greetings Friends, Neighbors and fellow Citizens of the World.
This evening, almost upon the cusp of the year, The Kid and I are in the Keralan town of Kannur, formerly known as Cannanore. Many of the cities in India have two names, the older colonial names and the newer (or older, depending on how you look at it) Indian names, thanks to The Great Soul.
Today, the GE and I journeyed Northward from Thalassery (Tellicherry) to Kannur via the Indian rail system. For the princely sum of 8 rupees, we chugged along in style for 45 kilometers. Eight rupees for two people. That's sixteen cents US. For two. We love the trains.
While waiting at the station and trying to decode the cryptic ciphers on the ticket, we met three very lovely young Indian student girls on their way to Bangelore, heading home for the holidays. They shared some Keralan sweets with us, gave us a quick lesson on train travel and, after some giggling on their part, informed Liam that he looked very much like a Bollywood film star. This admission from them led to The Kid saying things to me like "Not a single word, not one word or I will throw you on the tracks." Of course, I was smirking like a madman, so perhaps it was deserved. At 6'-3" and with his partially blue punk do, he does have a presence here.
We will be exploring the regions around Kannur for the next three days or so. This is an area almost completely off the tourist trail, a land of Theyyem Rituals that pre-date Hinduism, pristine beaches, and the Northern Backwaters, a delta of four rivers that can be crossed by local ferries.
It is late and I cannot post pictures from this computer, so I bid you a fond good evening. We have had our dosa and our tea, so now it is time to retire to our secluded little hide-away tucked back in a leafy and quiet part of town. When it is quiet in India, it is deafening and wonderful.
This evening, almost upon the cusp of the year, The Kid and I are in the Keralan town of Kannur, formerly known as Cannanore. Many of the cities in India have two names, the older colonial names and the newer (or older, depending on how you look at it) Indian names, thanks to The Great Soul.
Today, the GE and I journeyed Northward from Thalassery (Tellicherry) to Kannur via the Indian rail system. For the princely sum of 8 rupees, we chugged along in style for 45 kilometers. Eight rupees for two people. That's sixteen cents US. For two. We love the trains.
While waiting at the station and trying to decode the cryptic ciphers on the ticket, we met three very lovely young Indian student girls on their way to Bangelore, heading home for the holidays. They shared some Keralan sweets with us, gave us a quick lesson on train travel and, after some giggling on their part, informed Liam that he looked very much like a Bollywood film star. This admission from them led to The Kid saying things to me like "Not a single word, not one word or I will throw you on the tracks." Of course, I was smirking like a madman, so perhaps it was deserved. At 6'-3" and with his partially blue punk do, he does have a presence here.
We will be exploring the regions around Kannur for the next three days or so. This is an area almost completely off the tourist trail, a land of Theyyem Rituals that pre-date Hinduism, pristine beaches, and the Northern Backwaters, a delta of four rivers that can be crossed by local ferries.
It is late and I cannot post pictures from this computer, so I bid you a fond good evening. We have had our dosa and our tea, so now it is time to retire to our secluded little hide-away tucked back in a leafy and quiet part of town. When it is quiet in India, it is deafening and wonderful.
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